Bhutan Targets Food Self‑Sufficiency by 2029 Amid Mountainous Challenges

Bhutan’s 13th five‑year plan aims to make the country food‑self‑sufficient by 2029, a goal that hinges on a $180 million investment to boost domestic production and support smallholder farmers. Agriculture employs more than 40 % of the nation’s 800,000 people, yet only a small fraction of Bhutan’s rugged, landlocked terrain is suitable for farming. Farmers face steep logistics hurdles: unpaved roads, lack of cold storage, and the cost of time, which degrades produce quality. Labor shortages are worsening as young people leave the sector. To address these issues, the government is allocating $139 million specifically to smallholders—most of whom are women—while also seeking to make farming a viable, respected profession for the next generation.